


Leslie and the Beast

by c00kie



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Not a Crossover, Romance, demon ben
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-05-15 03:08:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5769031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c00kie/pseuds/c00kie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben is a demon. Leslie is the woman he's chosen to love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ashisfriendly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashisfriendly/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!!! You are my favorite person in the universe and I hope this birthday gift is worthy of you. 
> 
> I repeat. This is not a crossover. It has nothing to do with any other shows that may or may not contain demons. Think of this as more medieval danse macabre type lore. 
> 
> And thanks to bookworm03 for her hand holding and opti, for his advice re: April.

 

The house across from Leslie's had been vacant for as long as she could remember, abandoned to gather dust and spider's webs. Leslie knew from old photographs the house had once been been beautiful, with green shutters that stood out against the white exterior paint. Now though the paint was chipped and most of the house was covered in dead ivy.  The grass was yellow and bare in some spots, overgrown in others, especially near the sides and back yard.  There were other flowers in the front, various colored roses, daisies and lilacs. Leslie could even remember seeing some yellow tulips growing near the front steps, but now most of the flowers were dead, given away to the time of year or to neglect.

That is all except for a single rosebush. Even though a thin layer of frost covered it and the ground, the flowers were still bright red and full, defiant against the chill that should have killed them.

According to the internet, they were the species Dame De Coeur and were best known for their dark crimson color as they aged and their powerful fragrance.  

And Leslie Knope wanted one.

Rationally,  she knew it would just be just as easy to order that particular species on the internet and plant them in her own yard, but Leslie couldn't wait that long. She needed a rose, and she needed it now.

The leaves were soggy beneath Leslie's feet as she approached the rose bush. As she crept closer, she thought she saw a shadow on the brick fence that separated the yard and the one next to it, where Mr. Simpson lived with his five cats.

She stilled for a moment, clutching her pruning shears.  But the moment passed and she figured it was probably nothing and continued toward the roses, trying to ignore the way the overgrown grass beside her scratched at her hip.

She crouched down, ready to pick a rose from the bottom of the bush when she heard a man's voice say, "Excuse me."

Leslie dropped her shears as his hand touched her shoulder. She spun around, fists up. "I know karate!"

The man stared at her. It was too dark to make out his features, but he appeared to be rather slim.  She was sure she could take him.

"You're trespassing."

Technically, this was true. But seeing as no one lived there, Leslie felt that no one would really care if she took one measly rose.

"I care," he said when she was done explaining this to him. "I live here."

"That's not possible. No one has lived here for years."

While it was true that the house didn't have any tenants, an owner had been discovered after Leslie's neighbors complained to the city council and Pawnee Historical Society that the house was an eyesore that needed to be torn down. The news of an owner had been a shock, but the truly surprising part was the lack of information. On all the documents of sale, their name was simply listed as L.W.W. and no other information was given.

Leslie thought it was strange that someone was allowed to buy a house without so much as an address, but apparently in Pawnee, as long the cheque cleared, it was considered perfectly legal.

"Wait, are you L.W.W.?" He seemed a little young to have purchased a house in the eighties, but it was dark enough that she wasn't sure.

"No. That was my grandfather, Leland William Wyatt. He passed away and left me this place. I'm Benjamin Walker Wyatt. My father's Steven Wallace Wyatt. Would you like to know my brother's name? I'll give you a hint, his middle initial is W."

It was dark but Leslie could still make out his smirk. It was the kind of smile that would have been attractive it she wasn't already so annoyed.

"Fine." Leslie crossed her arms and huffed. He chuckled, softly, annoying her even more. "You live here. I didn't see you move in."

"Technically I haven't. I was just coming to see what all needs to be done before I sell it. Apparently a lot." He ran his fingers through his hair, clearly frustrated.  She could tell it was nice hair too, dark and thick and kind of long on top. The kind of hair she'd like to comb her fingers through while he pleasured her with his mouth.

No. What was she doing having dirty thoughts about a man who annoyed her?  Admittedly, it wouldn't be the first time.

"Oh." For some reason, Leslie felt a pang in her stomach at the thought of him selling the house,  even though rationally she knew that the new tenants would probably take care of it and would be perfectly respectable people who might not mind if Leslie took a rose.

"You know you're speaking out loud, right?"

"I was not," Leslie admitted, quickly turning away just in case he could see her reddened cheeks.  She hoped that was the only thing she said.

Ben sighed. "You know what, take the rose. It doesn't matter. I'm going to dig it up anyway."

"You can't!"

"I can't?"

"No. You can replace this stone path and paint the house fuschia and do whatever else you want with it," Leslie said, ignoring the way he repeated fuschia, "but I'll be damned if I let you dig up this rose bush."

Lightning struck overhead and in the fraction of a second, Leslie saw Ben's shadow against the wall. It was normal, except for the large pair of bat shaped wings behind his back. Leslie blinked, sure that Ben didn't actually have a pair of wings.  

The sky lit up again and this time she was sure she saw a forked tail between his legs.  This time she couldn't blame the weather for the chill in her bones.

"You know what? Leslie said, moving away from the bush and Ben. "I can just get a rose from the market, it's fine and it was very nice to meet you, Mr. Wyatt."

He said, "Alright, Ms. Knope," before Leslie hurried home as fast she could without it seeming like she was running away.

It was only after she was safe in her bed that she realized she'd never told him her name.

 

In the morning, while Leslie made coffee and gave herself her usual morning pep talk, she added a part about how whatever she saw wasn't real, and she wasn't crazy.  After that, she looked up the weather for the day, did the crossword puzzle, stretched, and ate breakfast while doing some brainstorming. She was just about to go get ready for work when Ben knocked on her door.

"You left these," he said, holding her gardening shears. "Thought you might want them back. Cute shirt, by the way-" He pointed to her Garfield t shirt-"I'm more of a Calvin and Hobbes kind of guy, myself."

In the daylight, Ben Wyatt didn't appear to have wings or a tail. In fact, he actually seemed quite harmless.  Cute, even, making her remember her thoughts about him using his mouth on her from the night before.

"Oh. Thank you." She reached out to take them. Their fingers brushed and she felt as if she'd been burned. She looked at her fingers, sure that they would be blistered but they were fine. They weren't even pink.

"This is also for you," he said, pulling a rose from behind his back.

"Oh." She stared at the rose, noticing that it's vibrancy faded since being clipped. "Thank you."

When she took the rose, she was careful not to touch his fingers.

"You better put that in water, Ms. Knope," Ben said, dipping his chin at her. "I'll see you later."

His words felt like both a threat and a promise. She was barely able to lift her hand to wave goodbye.

"Bye," she said, after he'd already walked away.

 

Leslie decided to approach everything from clear, rational point of view and busied herself with work in an effort not to think about Ben or his more peculiar traits, but by the time she went over her presentation ten times for the meeting at 2:30 and filled out all the maintenance reports and read over citizen request forms, his name only grew louder in her head, not less so.

She gave up on rational and decided it was time to do some investigating. She opened Google and typed in his name. There were several Ben Wyatts listed, but eventually she discovered his facebook page. His profile picture was nice, though she could tell it was the kind where someone else had been cropped out. Was it a family member? An old girlfriend? A buddy? She couldn't tell. She also couldn't tell anything else, as his page was mostly friend's locked. But, his cover picture was of the Starship Enterprise. So at the very least, she learned he was a nerd.

Somehow that didn't surprise her.

She was trying to figure out if Ben was the same Ben Wyatt that came in top ten at some board game convention when Ann walked in.

 

"Ready for lunch?"

"Just let me get my purse," Leslie answered, exiting out of her search. "JJ's?"

Ann gave her a small smile as she said, "Sure."  

"Great, because after the night I had I need waffles," Leslie said as they walked out of the Parks department and toward the exit to her car.  

"Yeah? Why? You didn't get drunk and call an ex did you?"

"You know I don't drink during the weekday after what happened last time."

Ann grimaced at the memory and nodded. "That was a bad night."

"The worst," Leslie agreed. "So what's new in the exciting world of nursing, today?" Maybe Ann would have a great story that would distract her.

"Just some super testroned muscle guys and his lackey with broken nose. He kept complaining that it ruined his beautiful face and his friend tried to reassure that he was still the most attractive man in Pawnee."

"Ugh."

"Yeah, it's been really slow today," Ann said, yawning. "God I need like ten cups of coffee. Remind me of why I'm working doubles."

"So you can afford your Sephora addiction."

"That's it."

Once they were at JJ's and seated, Ann leaned forward and said, "Okay out with it, what did you do last night."

Leslie sighed and told Ann nearly everything. She left out the part about Ben's shadow and the way his touch was like fire, knowing it was best to just avoid that particular topic.

"He doesn't even care about the roses. He's just going to dig them up." She cut into her waffle with extra force, making metal scrape against the plate. She might not be able to speak about the other thing, but she could still vent about how much of a jerk he was. Even if he did give her a rose that morning.

"Well, you were on his property at one am."

"Oh fine, take his side."

Ann raised her eyebrows and Leslie instantly felt contrite. Maybe sneaking out to get a rose in the middle of the night was a tad dishonorable.  She couldn't even explain why she did it. It was almost as if it had called to her.

"I'm sorry, Ann." She reached out to take Ann's perfectly manicured hand. Ann squeezed back as she looked at Leslie in what Leslie referred to as, her 'nurse's gaze.' It never failed to make her nervous. What if she said she had meningitis? Or worse, made her take time off work?

"Are you getting enough sleep?"

They both knew the answer to that question was no. "Of course. Five hours a night!"

Ann shook her head. "Yeah, that's not enough."

Leslie rolled her eyes. Five hours was plenty. And who cared if the past few nights she'd only gotten three hours? Some sleep was better than no sleep.

"Do you want me to get you a prescription for Ambien?"

"I hear those make you do weird things."

Ann sighed. "Well you should at least take a nap."

"Can't. I have a meeting in an hour. So tell me about this broken nose. Was there a lot of blood?"

 

Try as she might, Leslie couldn't stop obsessing about Ben. The less she tried to think about him, the more she did. She never saw him during the week, but he would come in on Friday afternoon and stay until Sunday evening. And every time she saw him, Leslie found herself drawn to him, every thought dirtier than the last. She could at least rationalize them because he was good looking and had a great butt.  

Leslie didn't watch Ben's every move when he was there. She wasn't a stalker and she had her own life, but when she did see him, it was hard not to notice things. For one thing, he never took anything in or out of the house.  She also couldn't help but notice that he tended to look even more tired and frazzled every time she saw him.

Even stranger than Ben's behavior was the roses were still alive, as was the rose he gave her. It was the color of dried blood, but the petals were still soft and fragrant.

Sometimes, if she happened to be outside, Ben would come over and they would exchange small talk. He would ask about the rose, she would ask about the house.

Their answers were always the same.

"It's doing really well."

"It's fine." He would say. But this time Ben chose a different response. "Strange."

"Yeah?" Leslie asked, glancing at his shadow. Every time they spoke, she found herself looking at it, trying to see if there were wings or a tail or anything out of the ordinary. Once, she swore she saw the tail again, but it was gone in an instant.  After, she had spent an hour trying to convince herself that there were perfectly reasonable explanations for it and that everything was fine. It didn't work.

"Strange how?"

"It just is. I keep expecting to find a secret passageway."

"Oh, but those are cool!" Leslie's excitement died when she saw the look he was giving her. And then it happened. His eyes flashed red. Leslie wanted to run, except her feet just wouldn't move.

"Yeah." Ben chuckled. "You're right, secret passages are cool. Well, I gotta-"

"Before you go, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

There was a lot Leslie wanted to ask Ben. If he would tie her up, what he was exactly, how he seemed to know so much about her, but she knew those questions could wait for now. "How did your grandfather buy your house?"

"It's been our family for generations," Ben answered, combing his fingers through his hair. "The story goes someone bought in an an auction. By the time my grandfather got it, he threw the deed in his desk and forgot about it. I didn't even know about it until they read they will."

"Oh. Well that explains why it's been vacant for long."

"Yeah," Ben agreed. "It's weird though, there's stuff in it that's actually kind of familiar? Like I swear I saw a mirror that belonged to my great aunt."

"Well, if it's been in your family for generations, maybe a relative lived here."

"That could be," Ben agreed. "I found a picture the other day of a girl holding a doll and I swear it's the same one my sister had a kid."

"That's weird," Leslie said as her arms pricked. "Have you asked someone in your family?"

Ben laughed. "Good lord, no. My dad's exact words about the house were, 'that bleeping piece of crap?' so I doubt he'll be any help. And everyone else who lived back then is dead."

The wind blew across Leslie's face, stinging her skin. "I wish it warm up already."

"Me too." Ben shivered. "Well, I better go back inside and continue searching for that secret passageway in the library."

"Good luck," Leslie said, his smile making the butterflies dance around in her stomach.

 

It was during her weekly coffee break with her mom that Leslie thought to ask her if she remembered anyone ever living in Ben's house.

"Not that I can remember," Marlene answered, sipping on her coffee."No, wait, there was a family who lived there for about a year when I was sixteen. I don't know remember their name though."

Leslie sensed there was something her mother wasn't telling her. She sat her coffee down. "What happened to them?"

Marlene shrugged. "They died, sweetheart."

 

It was an early morning in spring when Leslie heard yelling and loud machinery outside.  She looked out her window to see men on top of the roof, peeling off the rotting shingles and throwing them to the ground.  Men on ladders tore down the shutters and tossed them aside. On the ground, men were cutting down the flowers.

Leslie ran down the stairs and across the street, barefoot and uncaring of her appearance. She had to save the roses before they dug it up and tossed it aside as if it wasn't the most special rose bush in the world.

"Stop right there!" Leslie yelled, holding her hands out. The men stopped, staring at her as she made her way to the man with the clippers next to the roses. "Don't you dare touch those."

He stared back at her, his face a picture of confusion. "I was told-"

"I don't care what you were told. Those roses stay."

"Ma'am," another man came over to them. Leslie could tell from his general demeanor and age that he was the boss. "We are tearing up this entire yard. We cannot leave those roses."

Leslie sighed. She doubted he would understand, even if Leslie was able to explain how important they were. What was she supposed to say? They were magical?

"Fine," she said. "How much to replant it in my yard?"

The man, whose embroidered shirt claimed his name was Don, looked at the bush for a minute before finally saying, "Fifty should be fair."

Leslie watched as a kid named Chip who barely looked eighteen dug the roses up, praying that he knew what he was doing.

"Is it unusual for roses to bloom in the winter?"

He looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Right," Leslie said, sighing. "Well do you know why it would?"

"Beats me," Chip said, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Ordinarily I'd guess good soil and light, but that yard is dry as a bone."

"Huh."

Then she heard his shovel hit something hard. He shrugged, probably figuring it was nothing more than a rock, but as he moved the shovel to another spot, he hit something hard again.

He looked her in the eye before yelling for his boss to come over.

"What is it?"

"There's something under here."

"It's probably just rock."

Chip shook his head. "I don't think so."

Don took the shovel from him and began to dig a spot next to the bush. Leslie watched as dirt and soil and rocks flew to the side.

That's when Leslie saw the box. It was on the small side and made of wood, though Leslie wasn't sure what kind. It was locked in three places, with three different locks. Whomever made it sure didn't want anyone to open it. However, it wasn't the locks that caught Leslie's attention, but rather the carving on the lid of a devil dancing with a woman.

"Call the owner," Don said, sending Chip off running.  "Well. Fuck."

All the work stopped as the other men and women came over to see what the fuss was about. Knowing that Ben was on his way and the roses were safe for the moment, Leslie ran back to her house to get dressed and brush her teeth and hair. She told herself it was so she seemed somewhat professional, and it wasn't because she had a crush on him.

When she came out, she saw her neighbors standing around, curious about the commotion.  Leslie ignored them as she crossed the street. Even though she didn't want to, she felt as if she was supposed to be there when Ben arrived.

In the meantime, she took several picture of it with her phone.

After all, it was her insistence that the roses be saved that caused the chest to be discovered.

He arrived an hour later, looking distraught. He was dressed in a nice suit,  the kind Tom would approve of.

It reminded her that it was Monday, and she was supposed to be at work. But before Leslie could panic about how forgetting work was the worst thing she's ever done, and how it's never happened to her before, she heard Ben curse.

"Do we call the police?" Someone asked. "We should call the police, right?"

"For what,  Francis? A box?" A crewwoman asked. "Nah, I say we break it open."

"No," Ben said, making Leslie stare at him. "No cops. And no breaking it. I'll just take it into the house and you can all continue working." He picked up the box up and took it inside, coming back mere seconds later. He stopped by Don and spoke to him for less than a minute, before he started to walk to his car.

"Ben-" Leslie shouted. He turned around, waiting for her to continue, only Leslie couldn't remember what it was she wanted to say.

Ben smirked back at her sending a chill down her spine.

"Get some sleep, Ms. Knope." Then he got back in his car and drove off.

"Let's dig up those roses," Chip said.

"Yeah. Just, replant it wherever you think would be best in my yard. I have to go."

Chip shrugged, said, "Alright," and continued to dig.

 

"You're three hours late for work," Ron said, frowning at his door. "Two citizens have come in already. April was barely able to hold them off. I had to speak to-"

Leslie ignored his tirade and pushed him into his office, slamming the door behind her.

"What is the matter with you, woman?"

"I saw something." Ron took a step back, watching as Leslie paced the floor of his office. "Actually that should be plural. I've been seeing things. Weird things, possibly bad, but who's to say if something is really bad? Just because it-"

"When is the last time you slept?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I get enough." Ron's face remained the same, but Leslie could tell he wasn't buying it. "I'm fine. I just-" she paused to take a deep breath. "Take a look at this."

She pulled her phone and showed Ron a picture of the box. "Weird huh?"

Ron studied the photo for a minute. "White ash, with gold, silver and brass locks. Interesting. What's in it?"

"I don't know.  They found it buried in my neighbor's yard," Leslie said taking her phone back. "Ron, do you believe in evil?"

"You've met my ex wife."

Leslie sighed. "Of course."

Ron walked around his desk and pulled out a bottle of Lagavulin and two glasses. "You need a drink."

She sat down without protest and took her glass, sipping on the rich amber liquid. "I think something bad is happening, Ron. And I feel like I'm being pulled toward it and I can't seem to stop myself." She wasn't sure she wanted to.

Ron stared at her, silent as he poured her another glass.  He had no advice to give, but at least she had a nice buzz until lunch.

 

The week continued on without fanfare. Leslie kept herself busy until Friday, when she knew Ben was coming into town to check on the progress of the house and to do whatever it was that made him look ragged.

That evening, she was getting the groceries out of her trunk when she heard Ben say, "So, I see you got them to move the rose bush to your yard."

She turned. He was standing at the edge of the sidewalk, wearing a tan windbreaker that was unzipped enough for her to see his skinny green tie and plaid shirt.  His shadow behind him, normal except she could see the tops of the wings behind his back.  Leslie blinked, but they continued to remain, moving with Ben as he did.

Leslie knew that she should be scared, that she should run into her house and lock the door and hide, but she wasn't afraid, not even a little bit. In fact, she would say her emotion was more curious than anything else. Why did Ben's shadow have wings and a tail, but his actual body did not? What was he? Was he human or something else? And if he was something else, did it make her attraction toward him worse?

"Not at all," he said, eyes turning red again, only this time, they didn't turn brown again for a full minute. She prayed he wasn't answering her question about being attracted to him. "I actually hope it continues to bloom for you."

Leslie was caught off guard by his sincerity. "Oh. Thank you. So..." She wanted to ask what it was he did with the chest, but she was afraid to find out the answer. It was odd that the house and the box scared her more than he did.  "How's the house coming?"

"Good. They say the house will be done by fall."

"That's great," Leslie said with a smile she didn't quite feel. "Are you still going to sell it?"

Ben gave her a long look that made her skin feel hot, and he wasn't even touching her. "That's the plan."

"Oh." Her disappointment surprised her. She barely knew Ben, and yet here she was, already sad that he was going to leave. "Well, thanks again for the roses."

Ben nodded. "No problem, Ms. Knope. Sorry for keeping you."

He didn't give her enough time to say he wasn't keeping her. He simply turned and walked across the street, back into his house.

Further on into the evening, Leslie was watching Ken Burn's documentary on the Dust Bowl and trying her best to pretend that there was nothing wrong in the world by drawing unicorns over and over with colored pencils in a tiny sketchbook Ann gave her for her last birthday when the doorbell rang.

She knew, without looking, that it was Ben.

She was just grateful she wasn't in her pajamas yet when she answered the door. "Hi."

"Hey." He stuck his hands in his pockets and exhaled. "Busy?"

"Not at all," Leslie answered. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you want to go have a drink with me."

"Let me get my purse," Leslie said without hesitation before going to retrieve her purse, leaving the door open. Ben remained at her porch, though she could see him peek inside. He moved aside as she locked her front door and smiled at her when she declared herself ready. "There's a bar close by so we don't have to drive."

"Great."

Leslie grinned up at him, getting his patented 'I just might be evil but you still want me' smirk again. It made her want to reach up and kiss him, but she figured that was something she should do with a couple shots in her, for a valid excuse. "So, what do you do when you're not here?"

"Accounting in Indianapolis. You?"

"I'm the deputy director of Parks and Recreation."

"Cool. I like the parks here. I mean,  I haven't actually been to any of them, but I've driven past them on my way here and I can tell they're nice."

"Is that sarcasm? Because-"

"No," He put his hand on her shoulder. It was like being burned with a red hot iron, but she couldn't make him remove it. She didn't want to. "I mean it. They look nice."

"Oh. Sorry. I just get defensive."

"It's fine. I get defensive about things I love too."

They turned the corner and she could hear the combination of music and people's voices that signaled they were near their destination. She bumped his shoulder. "And what's that, Mr. Wyatt?"

"Sci-Fi and comic books mostly."

"Ahhh. Okay on the count of three let's both shout our favorite superhero."

"Deal."

"One! Two! Three!"

"Batman!" They said in unison, laughing together like they were already drunk.

"Okay, okay, who is your favorite female superhero?"

"Wonder Woman, all the way," Ben answered. "Thanks to Lynda Carter. Let me guess yours."

"Go ahead."

"Ms. Marvel."

"Wow. But that's an easy one. Guess my favorite villain?"

"Poison Ivy," Ben answered right as they reached Scully's, opening the door for her. "A woman that likes parks and plants as much as you? It has to be Poison Ivy." He had to shout most of the sentence because of the noise, but Leslie had to admit he was right.

She wondered if he could read minds.

It reminded her of how he knew her name the first day they met.

"Hey, why don't you go grab us that booth," Ben said, pointing to a booth in the corner, "And I'll go get us something to drink."

"Perfect," Leslie said, and then they separated.

Leslie had to squeeze and duck her way through the crowd, but she managed to grab the table before anyone else did. Before she could even set her purse down though, April was sitting across from her.

"Ah!"

"Who's that guy you're with?" she asked, nonplussed.

"No one. He's my neighbor."

"Is he your new boyfriend?"

"No. He's just my neighbor. What are you doing here?"

April's brow kind of furrowed. "Andy's band is playing tonight."

"Oh! I didn't know that! I wish you had told me."

"I did. Several times. You even said, 'Oh, I will definitely be there, I love Mouse Rat they're my favorite band and the best band in Pawnee.'"

"That was uncanny," Leslie said of April's impression of her while looking over to see where Ben was. She hoped the sea of drunk women hadn't swallowed him.

"He seems weird. There's something weird about him."

"There's nothing weird about him, April," Leslie said, sighing. Unless you counted the devilish shadow and the fact his eyes sometimes turned red and his touch was rather hot, but other than those things, Ben was a perfectly normal guy. He was an accountant. "He's just my neighbor."

Something in April's expression changed, from detached curiosity to something more gleeful, and therefore, much scarier. "Oh my god. You like him."

"I don't-"

"You do. You want to have his children."

"No I don't." It was way too soon to be thinking about kids. "He's just a friend."

"A friend you want to bang."

"April."

April laughed. "Sorry. I'll go, but be careful, please?"

Leslie was taken aback by her sincerity. "I promise," she said, earning a nod back as April left, just as Ben arrived, holding four beers.

"It's chaos up there so I went ahead and grabbed us both two."

"Good thinking," Leslie said, lifting beer number one up to tap against his before taking a drink. "Now where were we? Oh right, your favorite villain. Easy answer is the Joker, but that's too easy."

"You think so?" Ben asked, leaning back in the booth, hand still on the beer which sat on the table.

"Yes. Okay let me think. You're a DC guy and you seem to like Batman the best which means that your favorite villain should be from that but I don't think think that's the case.-" She took a pause to take a drink and stall, because she honestly didn't know, but the moment she saw the red in Ben's eyes again, she knew the answer. "Dark Phoenix."

"Oh. You're good."

"I try."

She lost count of how many beers she had. But her body was warm and her head felt like it was being held up by butterflies, but it was fine, because she had Ben right where she wanted him.

"Tell me."

"I don't think so," Ben said, laughing as he kicked a pebble on their way home. "Not happening."

"Come on. Tell me. I know you know. Tell me, Benjamin!"

"Nope." He stopped, grabbing her hand to make her stop as well. "I forget which way."

Leslie looked around the get her bearings.  They were still close to Scully's, it would be easy enough to go back and call a cab. If only she could remember her address.

"That way," Leslie guessed, pointing in a random direction. Ben seemed to agree, because he took her arm into his and started leading her that way.

Minutes later, she could no longer hear the noise from Scully's. She also knew they'd gone the wrong way. "We're lost," Leslie told him, unable to keep from giggling.

Ben laughed too. "Awesome."

Leslie looked around,  still trying to figure out where they were and which way to go home. "I think we took the wrong turn at Albuquerque."

Ben laughed again at her Bugs Bunny reference. "Well what way should we go?"

"I'm not sure," she said, realizing there was something her shoe. "Oh one second." She took off her shoes and hit the bottoms releasing some tiny rocks and grit. She glanced to him again and caught him staring at her, a soft smile on his face.

Suddenly,  Leslie remembered their early conversation. "Tell me."

Ben's eyebrow quirked and he laughed as he held out his hand. "Maybe. If you dance with me."

"Here?" They were near a grove of trees, at the corner of two streets. The houses nearby were dark, and except for a dog barking further down the street, everything was perfectly quiet.

"Here."

Leslie's heart raced as she took his hand and he pulled her closer. She was still barefoot so she only came to his shoulder, but he was looking down at her, his eyes completely connected with hers as he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other took her hand.  

This close, Leslie could tell him smelled like smoke. Not of cigarette smoke, but like smoke from a fire. She thought about how hot his skin was, wondered if he wasn't burning up from the inside out.

Maybe this was what April warned her about.

"Sorry. My mom made me take ballroom dance classes so now all I really know how to do is waltz."

Leslie giggled and Ben started humming a tune that was both haunting and familiar. She followed his lead, never taking her eyes from his.

When they turned red again, Leslie remembered the box they found in his front yard and the carving on top of the devil and the woman dancing, just like they were. It sobered her, made the air colder, and consequently grateful that his hands were so hot.

He spun her around and pulled her back and dipped her. She laughed through it, though she couldn't help but see him, not as Ben, cute neighbor, but as a red skinned devil with horns and a tail and large wings that stuck out from his back.

"You okay?"

"Dizzy," Leslie said. It wasn't totally a lie.  She was dizzy, just not from the dancing or alcohol.

"You ready to go find our street?"

Leslie nodded. "Yeah."

This time, Leslie knew where they were going.  They walked in companionable silence, hands barely touching.  When they reached her house, he walked her up to her door. He stood on the step below, making them nearly the same height.  It would be so easy to kiss him, or to invite him inside, but instead she smiled and said, "So, you promised."

"You're right, Ms. Knope. You really want to know?"  Leslie could only nod as he drew figure eights on her hands, drawing her closer to him until their lips were only centimeters apart.

"I do."

His breath smelled mostly of beer but she didn't mind, just like she didn't mind that Ben was possibly something more than human. He was still Ben.

"Ravenclaw," he whispered, lips grazing hers.

"I knew it."

"Thank you for coming."

Were they kissing? She couldn't tell. "Thanks for inviting me."

He smiled and let go of her hand, turning back around to leave. She watched as he made his way across the street to his house. Then he turned and gave her a wave. She returned it before finally going inside.

 

In the morning, Leslie looked out the window to see the roses were dead.  But it wasn't their death that shocked her, but rather the way Ben stood over them, staring at them as if they held the answers to a decision he needed to make. It made her stomach twist at the thought that whatever he was debating had something to do with her.

He looked up, most likely sensing that she was watching him and smiled at her. She smiled back and he walked away, eyes cast to the ground as he walked back into his house. Leslie left the window as soon as she saw the front door shut she went to check on the rose in her kitchen.

All the petals were on the counter.

Leslie could not bring herself to throw them away, so she took a glass bowl from the cabinet and swept them inside.

When she left her house though, the roses were alive again, in small buds looking as if they were just about to bloom.

It was as she was rinsing her hair that the idea came to her.  If she wanted to find out more about the family that lived there, and what happened to them, she needed to talk to the people who were there.

Two hours later, she was in Maggie Potters' sitting room, drinking tea while her toy poodle growled at her from the seat next to hers.

"Fifi, stop it," Maggie said, making the dog turn and lay her head on her paws. "Sorry about her."

"It's fine," Leslie replied,  adding more sugar to her tea. "This is a really nice tea set."

"Oh thank you. You know I won this set at an auction."

"Really?" It was a nice set, white with red roses painted on the sides. As Leslie looked closer, she could see that it wasn't just any rose, but the same one that grew in front of Ben's house. Did they belong to the mysterious tenants? Why had they been sold at an auction?

"Yes. It was I want to say ten, fifteen years ago? I don't use them every day, only for special company like yourself, dear."

"Thank you," Leslie said, watching as Maggie lifted her own cup with shaking, liver spotted hands. "Did they say where it came from?"

"The tea set?" Leslie nodded and Maggie shook her head. "Not at all. It's a shame too. It's missing the teapot and I would love to get my hands on it." She sighed. "It's probably broken or lost though."

"Yeah, probably," Leslie agreed, though she wondered if the teapot was truly was broken, or if it had been purposely left out. She was pretty sure she knew where she could find it though.

"Now, what was it you wanted to talk about, dear?"

Leslie took a sip of her tea and set the cup back on the matching saucer. "Do you remember the house on Hawthrone street? The one that sits on the corner that no one lives in?"

"I remember it, yes," Maggie answered, her voice losing its lilt. "What do you want to know?"

"Do you remember the family that lived there when you were a kid?"

"I was nearly five years older than your mother at the time. We'd been friends since her birth though, because our mother's were close. I didn't own a car, but I had a bike and would meet her outside the high school and we would bike to my house together. We would take Hawthorne because it was faster."

Leslie smiled at the thought of her mother being a carefree teenager riding her bike from school with her best friend.

"It was a gorgeous house, you know with that beautiful garden, but we always sped past it because if you so much as slowed down, she would come out."

Leslie wanted to know who she was, but Maggie had already continued.

"One day, my chain broke right outside their house. Your mother said we should move away before we fixed it, but I was insistent that I could be quick. While I was fixing it, your mother looked up and Her eyes were pale, her eyes as wide as these saucers."  

Maggie shook her head and lifted her cup, but didn't drink. "I raised my head to look and saw her. She was scowling at us, even though we were sitting on the sidewalk and not in her yard."

"Who?"

"The mother. She had thin, with a long neck and black hair she wore in a tight bun. Her face was young, but she wore such a stern expression that it made it look much older."

"Oh. Wow. Did she say anything to you?"

"Not that time, no. But only because someone inside the house called her and she had to rush back in. We picked up our bikes and ran as fast as we could from there. Of course, your mother was much faster."

Leslie took a deep breath. The more she learned of this family, the more she wasn't sure if she really wanted to know who they were. Do you remember their name?"

Maggie frowned. "I could never forget it. It was Ashburn. I thought it was ironic, given what happened to them."

Ashburn. The name didn't sound familiar to Leslie, but surely there was something in the city archives about them. "What?"

"They died in a fire, dear."

It was near forty five minutes later when Leslie hugged Maggie and saw herself out, promising to come by for tea sometime soon.

 

Leslie still wanted to know more about the Ashburns, if for no other reason than to include in her next edition of her book about Pawnee. Unfortunately, this meant she needed to go to the library.

 

Leslie hated the Eagleton library more than she hated the Pawnee library because of just being soul sucking succubuses, they were snobby soul sucking succubuses. However, it held most of the county's census records and had a better collection of newspaper articles on microfiche.  She put on a large hat before going in, hoping that no one would recognize her as she made her way to a secluded computer.

The computers were Apple, clearly brand new from the looks of it.  Leslie was pretty sure the computers in the Pawnee library were made in the eighties. It made her hate both places even more.

Oh well. At least she didn't have to deal with Tammy trying to ask her about Ron or attacking her.

She shuddered at the thought and began her search.  

To her surprise, there was only one hit for the Ashburn family, an article in the Pawnee Gazette from 1966.

Crap on a goldfish. She was going to have to talk to a librarian.

Sure enough, the librarian was snooty and rude as she delivered the microfiche to Leslie, telling her not to, "ruin it with your disgusting, Pawnee hands."

Leslie couldn't think of a response by the time the other woman flipped her blonde hair around and sashayed away.

That, Leslie thought, was pure evil.

It took her a minute to find the article about the Ashburns, but once she did, her heart stopped.

The article was nearly impossible to read, as half of the ink was smudged, including the names of the victims. She did, however, learn that most of the fire was contained to one room, though she couldn't tell which one.

There was a picture. Leslie zoomed in on it and again, her heart stopped. The mother was long necked and in the bun, just as described. The father tall and lanky with thick sideburns.  There were three children though, not two, a teenage boy, a slightly younger boy and a girl in pigtails and holding a doll.

Leslie wondered if this was the same doll Ben mentioned before.

 

A week later, Leslie went over to Ann's for their bi-monthly slumber party. It consisted of whipped cream vodka, a sing a-long to "Grease" and marathoning "Friday Night Lights," while they painted their nails and ate double fudge caramel brownies.  She vowed not to think about the Ashburns or the way the middle son reminded her of Ben or about Ben himself.

"How are things going with Ben?"

"They're…" Leslie wasn't sure if she should say they were good or not. She didn't know what to make of their date, if it was one, or their kiss, if you could even call it that. "Okay."

"Just okay?" Ann make a face. "Boo."

"He's not staying here you know. He's just getting the house ready to sell and then he'll be gone."

"So?" Ann pushed her, a sign that she was in her violent drunk stage. "You like him. You should climb his dick."

It was a sign that Leslie was in her everything's funny stage of drunkenness that she giggled at Ann's statement instead of getting angry. "I bet it's good too."

Ann pushed her again. "So get it!"

She wanted to. She wanted to push him down and lick every single inch of him. She wanted to pull on his hair until it was even messier. She wanted to know if he had those wings or if they were just on his shadow.

She wanted to know if the fiction she read about demons having big dicks was true.

"Have you ever liked someone you knew was bad for you?"

"I dated Andy for over two years, so yeah."

Leslie sighed and poured more vodka into their cups.

That night, she dreamed Ben was a red skinned devil, chasing her through the park. His fingers like claws when he finally caught her.

 

Leslie did not see Ben for another month. Unfortunately for her, his absence did nothing to stop her attraction to him. If anything, it just made her want him that much more.  She tried distracting herself with work and her friendships, but his name was like a drum in her head, beating along with her heart. She dreamed of him constantly. Sometimes his skin was the color of candied apples and winged, other times he looked human, but no less dangerous.  

In the moments when neither work or sleep was an option, she would press her hand to her clit in an effort to release the growing tension. Sometimes it worked, but usually she needed something stronger than her own two fingers.  

Every time, she came with Ben's names on her lips.

She was beginning to rethink that whole no drinking on a weekday rule.

As Leslie debated the pros and cons of going out and getting drunk, Andy knocked on her door. "There's someone here to see you." He moved out of the way, revealing Ben.

She could now see him perfectly. His features were the same, but his skin was the same color as the roses when they were in full bloom, though darker around his neck and hands. His eyes were red too, yet they stuck out. Behind his back were two large wings that trailed behind him.

Leslie blinked, hoping the vision would go away, but it remained. She glanced around, waiting for someone, Donna, Jerry, anyone, to scream at the sight, but they remained at their desks, ignoring Ben.

It made her realize she was the only one who could see the real him.

She also realized whatever form he took, Ben was beautiful.

"Hi," she said, walking over to him. "What brings you here?"

"I've missed you, Leslie Knope," he answered, his voice soft and sincere. "I was hoping I could take you to dinner tonight. I know I could have just called, but-

Leslie quickly ran through the pros and cons list of going to dinner with Ben. He wasn't completely human and the part of him that wasn't was potentially evil.  But there was no denying she liked him, and considering what she knew, it wasn't he was a bad person. Leslie knew bad people. Ben wasn't one of them. 

Also, he was very cute and she kind of dug his wings. 

"I would love to!"

He smiled back at her, eyes brown now, skin white and wings and tail gone.

"How do you feel about Italian?"

"I love it."

"Great. I'll uh, meet you at your house at seven?"

"Seven it is."

His smile was boyish, almost shy. "I'll see you then."

He left and Leslie let out a deep breath. She was glad there were no meetings on the agenda today. She needed to go find something to wear.  More than that, she needed release.

 

Ann showed up after her shift to help Leslie choose a dress and help her do her make up. As she closed her eyes, Leslie thought about Ben's wings, of how strong and tattered they looked, but how they probably felt like velvet.

God, she was falling in love with a man with wings.

"Stay still."

Leslie took a breath and calmed herself down by counting backwards in her heads by seventies. She didn't think about warm brownies, because they reminded her of his eyes.

"Okay, done. You look hot."

Leslie looked at herself in the mirror. She was in her favorite red dress, the one that always made her feel sexy, her makeup was perfect, sultry with just a hint of slutty. All she needed was her shoes and the look would be complete.

"He's not going to know what hit him."

Leslie smiled at Ann's reflection. Somehow though, she felt Ben knew exactly what he was getting.

 

The doorbell rang just a few minutes to seven. Leslie was relieved Ben was early,  as Ann had left half an hour before and she was beginning to get restless. There was only so many times she could check her reflection.

Ben was in a dark suit and holding a rose, his eyes dark and red as he beheld her.  She couldn't remember the last time a man's stare made her feel this beautiful or wanted.

"I thought they died."

"I saved one," he said, giving it to her. Their fingers brushed and this time, she did not mind the burn.

"Would you like to come in while I put it in water?"

Ben nodded and stepped through the doorway. "Wow. This is...something."

Leslie looked around her living room, at the clutter she'd ignored for months. "I'm sure your house isn't any better."

"Touche. Though it's a lot better than I thought it would be. I swear someone came in and took half the stuff-"

"The auction!" Leslie remembered, filling the vase with water and dropping the rose inside.

"Auction?"

Leslie turned to Ben, noting how pale and worried he looked. "Yeah. It's a long story. Maybe we should discuss it over dinner."

"Yeah."

"I agree," Ben said, following her out the door. "I hope you don't mind, but I thought I would cook us dinner."

Leslie felt a chill at the thought of going into Ben's house, but she knew it was either now or never. So, she nodded and followed him across the street.

She had to admit, they were doing a great job with the house. The hard looked better, short and green, the house had been repainted, and the roof replaced. It made her realize she'd never seen anyone besides Ben go into the house.  She found it especially strange considering one of the rooms was once on fire.

Before Leslie could ponder this line of thought any further, he opened the door to his house and said, "After you."

She stepped inside and he turned on the light. It was instantly brighter, light by a gold chandelier that took Leslie's breath away. She tried her best to take everything, from the ornate rug that covered most of the hardwood floor, to the ticking clock on the mantle above the fireplace.

The box was sitting right next to it.

"Have you opened it?"

"I can't find one of the keys," Ben confessed, standing right behind her. "To tell you the truth, I am not sure I want to. It was buried for a reason."

Leslie nodded, though now she really wanted to know what was in the box. Ben was right though, some mysteries were best unsolved. "So, dinner?"

"Yeah. I hope you like pizza, because I've been practicing making dough and I think I'm getting pretty good."

Leslie laughed.  Ben was both devil and man, two parts of a true whole. And she adored both.

"I do."  

He'd already made the pizza, so all he had to do was put it in the oven. As it baked, he offered her a tour of the house.

"Sure." Her heart beat so loud she was sure Mr. Phillips could hear it next door.

"Well, you've seen the living room. This is the kitchen," Ben said, gesturing with his hand. It was large with a brick wall behind white counters that had been stained with time and a door that lead out into a sun porch. The floor was a green tile, peeling up in the corners. At least the appliances looked new.

When had Ben replaced them?  Had he worked on the inside of the house when Leslie wasn't looking?

Next, Ben lead through an archway into the dining room.  She could barely make out the table and chairs because of the light from the kitchen.

"Hold on," he said, then he walked over to the table and lit two candles on top of a gold candelabra, not with a lighter or a match, but with his bare fingers.

Then he turned around. "I'm sorry. I just thought we were past the pretense."

"We are."

"Good. Because I'm tired of hiding from you, Leslie."

Leslie smiled back at him. She didn't look at the room, figuring there would be plenty of time for that while they ate. Instead, she studied him, and his shadow on the wall.

"How did you figure it out?"

"That you could see me?"

Leslie answered, "Yes," as Ben lead her back through the living room to the staircase. He didn't answer her until they were standing on the balcony that looked over the room.

"That first night. You practically ran back into the house. 

"I couldn't really. Not until today. It was just your shadow and your eyes."

Ben smirked as he ran his thumb across Leslie's cheek. "And now? Are you afraid?"

"No." 

"You used to flinch every time I touched you."

"Well, in my defense, your skin is really hot."

"Don't worry. I'll be careful."

Leslie wasn't sure that was a promise she wanted him to keep.

The timer in the kitchen went off before anything else could be said.  Wordlessly, Leslie followed Ben back downstairs.

The pizza smelled amazing, reminding her of just how hungry she was. She watched as he cut it into equal sized pieces before opening a cabinet for two plates.

"How many?" he asked, interrupting Leslie's thoughts.

"Two, thanks."

He gave a nod and placed two slices onto her plate, then two on his. "After you," he said, holding both plates. Leslie turned and walked into the dining room, the candlelight still flickering across the walls.

This time, when Leslie sat down and Ben placed her plate in front of her, she looked at the peeling wallpaper and the large china cabinet behind Ben's chair.

As soon as he sat down, she saw the teapot. She took a bite and considered how she would bring up the subject of taking it to Maggie.

"So," he said eventually, "you mentioned an auction?"

"Most of this stuff was sold in an auction," Leslie explained, setting her slice down.

"Wait. Hold that thought. I forgot the wine." Ben shot up and disappeared into the kitchen, coming back moments later with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. He sat the glasses down on the table and poured, giving Leslie one of the glasses. She took a sip. She hoped it wasn't expensive, because she really couldn't tell the difference between it and a bottle of vinegar.

It tasted a lot better than vinegar though.

"Thank you."

"No problem. So how did you learn about this auction?"

"I know the woman who owns the set that matches that teapot behind you," Leslie answered, pointing. Ben turned around and barely glanced at it before turning back to Leslie. "She told me she won it in an auction. I can only imagine they sold more."

"Right. Well, if she wants it, she can have it. I prefer coffee anyway."

Leslie too another breath. "You know, it's funny. I keep expecting to realize that I should be scared of you. Because you're a-"

"A demon?"

"Yes. That. But I'm not. I'm not scared at all. You didn't put some kind of spell on me, did you?"

Ben laughed. "No. If anything, I should ask if you were the one who put a spell on me. I've lived for many years, Leslie Knope, and I've never been as drawn to a woman as I am drawn to you."

Only Leslie Knope could make a demon fall in love with her. The thought flows through like the wine she can't stop drinking.

"You stole my rosebush."

"You were going to dig it up."

"To replant it. You never let me finish."

"Yeah, well…" Leslie couldn't think of anything else to say.

Ben chuckled and for the next few minutes, they ate. Eventually though, the wine was gone and most of the pizza was in their stomachs. 

Leslie was going to regret drinking so much, especially given her own rule, but at the moment all she cared about was following Ben into the kitchen, blowing out the candles on the way.  They did the dishes together, her washing, him drying. 

"Have you ever accidentally set anything on fire?"

"Hotel curtains."

"Was everything you told me about your family true?"

"Yes. I'm just a little older than I seem."

"Are you really an accountant?"

"Leslie, look at me." 

Leslie turned and met Ben's eyes, warm and brown this time. 

"I've never lied to you about anything. I am what I am because of unfortunate circumstances, but I- I care about you. A lot." 

"I care about you too," she replied, relieved that every part of Ben was real, even if she still had some answered questions. 

"Good. So, I bought a chocolate cake from the bakery, would you like a slice?" 

"Maybe later," Leslie found herself answering. "Right now I want you to kiss me."

Ben did not ask for confirmation. He simply stepped forward and pulled her against him, crushing her chest to his. His lips were soft, but this kiss was not. The kiss was hard and utterly wicked.

When he released her, she knew he was giving her the opportunity to run. Leslie didn't want to run though. She wanted to stay. Because despite what he was, he was still good. So she answered him with a kiss of her own, clutching on the lapel of his jacket as she tasted the wine and marinara on his lips.

There was no running. No going back.

He pushed her forward, into the wall, lifting her up with supernatural strength, holding her tight as he continued to kiss her.  He pushed her legs open with his thigh pressing against her in the most delightful way as he ran his hands up her dress to massage her breasts. His hands were like white hot heat on her, like the sun on a hot day. She wasn't afraid though. No. She wanted more.

"Use your mouth." 

Somehow, Ben lowered himself, still keeping Leslie up against the wall. She found purchase in his hair as he pulled her panties to the side and his tongue began to stroke the fire within. She was being consumed by him, claimed.

The thought made her fall to pieces. Ben just kept going though, holding her still with his hands.

When he finally came back up, it was with red eyes and shiny lips.

She smelled the smoke coming off his skin and remembered the Ashburns. "What happened to the family that lived here?"

"They had a debt and they didn't pay," Ben answered as he carried Leslie back into the dining room. She had a feeling that was the only answer she would get for now. He knocked over the candelabra and lay her down on the white table cloth, lowering his body over hers to kiss her, giving her no time to respond before he sat up and removed her clothes. throwing them aside.  The room was drafty, but she knew in about thirty seconds, she wasn't going to feel cold at all.

She watched with trembling breath as he took off his own clothes. He was his true form again, red and scarred, wings stretched out and hitting the top of the ceiling and the walls. She wondered if he knew, but decided she didn't care as his pants came off and she saw what she was in for.

He was going to split her in half.

Ben stood over her, taking her in. "You're quite beautiful, Leslie Knope," he said as he ran his fingers down her body with a touch so light she could barely feel it. When he got to her center, he ran his forefinger down her slit, causing her back to arch. She wanted him to take her, to fuck her until she was nothing but ash and bone and then she wanted him to return her to life, just as he returned the roses to life.

Ben didn't do that. What he did was pull her to him and wrap her legs around his slim waist, carefully entering her. He held her face, pushed his thumb into her mouth so she would have something to distract her from the initial pain. Because even though Leslie wasn't a virgin, she'd never taken anything like Ben's cock before.

She thought of her grandmother and her obsession with the devil and wondered what she would say if she knew what Leslie was doing now. 

"What's so funny?" he asked when she giggled. 

"Nothing," Leslie assured him. "Keep going."

He was taking slower than Leslie usually liked, but she knew why Ben was being so careful. But she didn't need or want careful. She wanted him to fuck her.

"I can handle it." It was true. She felt ready.

With one more kiss that was more teeth this time than lip, Ben began to move in earnest. Leslie held on tight, the tablecloth moving up with every thrust. She sunk her teeth into his shoulder, receiving a bite on hers in return. They clawed and pulled and lost themselves in each other with every passing moment until finally, they found release.

In the after, Ben brought Leslie up to his chest and stroked her hair and back. He was more human again, which in truth, relieved Leslie. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you?"

It was true it would be hard for her to walk for a few days, but to tell the truth, she'd never felt so alive.

"I'm good. I promise. Did I hurt you?

"No. I'm good."

She kissed a bruise on his neck. He kissed her again, slow and precise before reaching down to give her back her dress. She slipped it over her head and jumped off the table. "So," she said as he put on his pants. "Did you ever find that secret passageway?"

Ben laughed as he took her hand. "Come on, I'll show you."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. appendix. 1: Hell.

Leslie asks if Ben’s ever been to hell during dinner. “No,” he says, “hell isn’t a place.”

Hell is a state of mind. Hell is dreaming about a fire that killed your family but somehow left you alive, damaged all the way to your soul. Hell is holding a box with no key. Hell looking in the mirror and seeing scars and wings and evil.

Hell is not being able to touch Leslie without burning her. It’s being unable to fuck her without hurting her.  
Heaven is her. It’s the way she smiles with her whole face when she sees him. Heaven is the soft brush of her lips on his. Heaven is her, underneath him, legs wrapped around his waist Heaven is her blue eyes never leaving his even though he knows what they look like. 

Heaven is being in love with Leslie Knope. 

Hell is knowing it won’t last.


End file.
